Flue-cleaner for boilers



No. 620,670. Patented Mar. 7, |899.

' D. RASO.

FLUE CLEANER FDR BOILEBS.

(Applieatin med mar. 9, 189s.)

(NovModel.)

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANTE RASO, OF LIVINGSTON, MONTANA.

FLU E-CLEAN ER FOR BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,670, dated March 7, 1899.

Application filed umh 9, 189s.

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, DANTE RASO, of Living?,

ston, in the county of Park and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fine-Cleaners for Boilers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for cleaning accumulated soot from the interiorof boiler-nues of that class in which a jet of steam or air under pressure is directed into the said fines.

An apparatus embodying my invention comprises a blowpipe of a length approximately equal to the length of the flue to be cleaned, which is adapted to be advanced through the iiue during the operation of cleaning, and a deiiector located outside of the iiue, with which the pipe has sliding engagement and through'which it is advanced into the flue. Said blowpipe is made of less external dialneter than the internal diameter of the flue, so as to provide a relatively large annular space between the pipe and the line. In the operation of the device the pipe, through which a suitable cleaning medium is forced, is gradu-V ally advanced through the flue to be cleaned, and the cleaning medium acts to separate the soot from the inner surface of the i'lue as the pipe is advanced therethrough. Owing to the accumulated mass of soot in the end o'f the iiue toward which the pipe is advanced and to the relatively large area of comparatively-unobstructed space between the pipe and iiue in the rear of the discharge end of the pipe the current of the cleaning medium will be deflected rearwardly toward the end of the iiue into which the device is inserted and will be discharged into the lire-box together with the particles of soot which have been dislodged thereby from the flue. Said deliector is provided for the purpose of preventing the soot from being scattered throughout the hre-box of the boiler and being thrown into the face of the operator, and is therefore so constructed as to fully cover the mouth or rear end of the flue being cleaned. When the pipe has been advanced almost through Serial No. 673,185. (N0 model.)

the iiue, the' force of the cleaning medium will be sufficient to break through the accumulated soot at the rear end of the ue and force the same therethrough in the direction in which the blowpipe is being advanced. When this occurs, the direction of the current of cleaning medium will be changed and the injector action of the pipe within the flue will act to draw all of the loose particles of soot which have been dislodged from the ue toward and discharge the same through the forward end thereof.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

The invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2 as applied to a locomotive-boiler; but it will be understood that the same may be used equally well upon stationary and other boilers.

In said drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a longitudinal section of a locomotive-boiler, showing one form of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a locomotive-boiler provided with a lire-brick arch and showing another form of myinvention applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of aboiler, showing still another form of my invention. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the nozzle and deflector plate or shield used with the forms of cleaner shown in Figs. l and 2.

In said Figs. 1 and 2, A designates as a whole a locomotive-boiler of common form provided with a lire-box A and with lues A2, through which the products of combustion are discharged from the fire-box. Said fireboX is provided with the usual door A3.

B designates as a whole my improved Huecleaner. Said device consists of a blowpipe B', which is adapted to be inserted into the iiues A2 to be cleaned; a shield or deflector B2, located outside of the fine-sheet A4 of the boiler, with which the pipe has sliding engagement; a globe-valve B3, by which the passage of the cleaning medium through said pipe is controlled; a connecting-hose B4, attached to said globe-valve by means of a nipple b, and a connecting-pipe B5, which leads from any suitable source ofcleaning medium.

While I do not wish to be restricted to the use of any particular cleaning medium, I have `found air under compression to be a suitable IOO medium for this purpose and will deserib the operation of the device in connectiek therewith.

The blowpipe B is approximately equal in length to the length of the lines to be cleaned and is adapted to be advanced gradually through said flues while air under pressure is being forced through the same. The deflector B2 consists of an inwardly-convex disk provided with an apertured hub or boss b', through which the pipe B passes and is adapted to rest in contact with the flue-sheet of the boiler. Said delector does not t closely upon the flue-sheet, but is located a sufficient distance from the rear end of the flue to form a passage between the same and the fluesheet. As herein shown, the disk is provided on its inner side with short pins or legs b2, which engage the flue-sheet around the flue being cleaned and serve to hold the disk at a distance from said sheet. rlhe pipe B is of less external diameter than the internal diameter of the flue to be cleaned, so that when the pipe is advanced into the flue the large area of comparatively unobstructed space between said pipe and flue will provide a freer egress for the air through the rear end of the llue than through the forward end thereof, and the current of air will be therefore directed toward and discharged from the rear end of the flue and carry with it the particles of soot which have been loosened thereby from the flue. tinued until the pressure of the air froln the blowpipe is sufficient to break through the obstruction in the forward end of the flue, which will occur when said pipe has been advanced almost through the flue, after which the current of air will discharge the soot from the front end of the flue. Any loose soot lying in the tube at the rear of the discharge end of the blowpipe when the direction of the current is changed will be carried to and discharged from the forward end of the flue by the injector-like action of the pipe within the llu'e.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the invention as applied to a locomotive-boiler having a firebrick arch A4 of common form, which is located between the door A3 and the rear ends of the flues A2. Vhen such arch is employed, the lower flues, which open into the fire-box adjacent to the base of said arch, cannot be cleaned by .a device having an inflexible blowpipe without disturbing said arch. In said construction the blowpipe consists of a flexible hose B6, which is of such flexibility as to permit the same to be bent at the required angles to be inserted into the lower flues,while possessing sufficient rigidity to permit the same to be forced through said fl'ues. The construction and operation of said device are similar in other respects to the device shown in Fig. l and heretofore described.

In the constructionsshown in Figs. l and 2 the soot during the first part of the operation of the device will be forced back against This operation will be conthe deflector B2 and will drop into .the firebox adjacent to the flue-sheet of the boiler.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a device which is designed to prevent the escape of any of the soot into the lire-box, but which forces all of the same through the forward ends of the flues. In said construction the deiiector is constructed to place the rear end of the liue being cleaned into communication with an adjacent flue which has previously been cleaned, so that the soot-laden current of air from the flue being cleaned will be forced through the clean flue and discharged through the outer end thereof. Said deflector consists of an outlet-nozzle D', which fits tightly in the end of the flue C to be cleaned and with which the blowpipe D has sliding engagemen t. Said nozzle is in open communication with a second or inlet nozzle D2, which is adapted to lit into a flue which has been cleaned, so that when the blowpipe is advanced through the flue and air forced through the same the backward current of air will pass through said nozzles and through the clean flue and out at the forward end of the same. This operation will continue until the current of air from 'the blowpipev is sufficient to force its way through the flue, when the direct-ion of the current will be changed and the remaining contents of the flue will be discharged through the forward end of the same. As herein shown, said nozzles D' D2 are provided with rearwardly-extending short pipe-sections D3 D4, which are connected at their rear ends by a transverse joint. In order to use said device upon boilers in which the flues are of varying distances apart, said transverse connection between the pipe-sections D3 D4 is made adjustable. As herein shown, the section D3 is provided with a short nipple d, which is adapted to fit within and have sliding engagement with a short nipple d', attached to the pipe-section D4. The fit be- IOO IIO

tween said connecting-nipples d d' will be such tight connection between said blowpipeandthe deflector. l

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 and air is forced through the pipe D, the rearwardly-directed current of air, laden with the dislodged particles of soot, will pass through the deliector into the clean flue, in which the nozzle D? fits, and out through the forward end thereof. As the nozzle approaches the forward end of the flue and breaks through the accumulated soot therein the direction of the current of air will be changed and the injector action of the same will cause the loose particles of soot and dust in the clean flue and the stationary parts of the device to be forced through the flue which is being cleaned in a manner similar to theing engagement, said delector-plate being provided on its inner side with suitable lugs or projections by which it is held out of contact with the flue-sheet.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature, in presence of tWo Witnesses, this 2d day of March, A. D.

DANTE RASO. Vitnesses:

NICOLA CARUSO, MARINO NAPOLI. 

